


Something There

by Aly_Writes



Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: Box needs a hug, But mostly fluff, Canon divergence - kinda, Comedy, Feels, Fluff, I had to do so much research on chickens omg, It was insightful to say the least, Mentions of suggestive themes, Romance, Side note: Chickens are weird, Sort Of, Sprinkling of bad language, Tiny bit of Angst, Ven is secretly a softy, Voxman, and kinda scary, like y'all dont understand, lots of feels, they're trying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:46:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23960944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aly_Writes/pseuds/Aly_Writes
Summary: A 5+1 fic - Boxman's 5 weird quirks, and one Venomous loves.Take a dive into Boxman and Venomous' relationship, starting from when they became business partners.Gift fic for anonymousEDward.
Relationships: Lord Boxman/Professor Venomous (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 64





	1. No cause for Alarm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anonymousEDward](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymousEDward/gifts).



> Wanted to write a gift fic for anonymousEDward, who's been having a rough time lately. Sending you happy, positive vibes, dude! 
> 
> Special message to anonymousEDward and all my readers out there: you are doing an amazing job, keep soldiering on. Things WILL get better. xoxo
> 
> HUGE thank you's to my beta readers, Mz_Mallow, Moonheart13 and @Ianwritesfics (tumblr). I know I keep saying this but I really appreciate all of your help! You're the best!!!

Introduction

Moving into Boxmore had been surprisingly easy – at least, concerning the transportation and arrangement of his new furniture. Recollecting and listing each and every possession he previously owned and then ordering each individual item online had been an absolute pain in the neck. Literally.  
But being a very meticulous man, he had decided that the effort was worth the headache to set up his new room and laboratory to his liking.  
Aside from that minor inconvenience, settling in at Boxmore had been a breeze. 

Venomous was impressed with how little Fink complained during the transition. Despite still having reservations about the loud and erratic roboticist, he could see the improvement in their demeanours. The pair were definitely on friendlier terms – thank Cob. It was certainly a weight off his chest. 

Boxman’s high energy and enthusiasm for reckless, wanton destruction was quite contagious, and the bioengineer could see the appeal to a young villain in training like Fink. But what, specifically was it that drew Venomous to Boxman? His confidence? His lust for chaos? His devil-may-care attitude? The man couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It was… a feeling, something much stronger and far more complex than mere admiration. 

Whatever it was, it was helping Venomous to look past and accept his fellow villain’s eccentricities. Especially the strange behaviours that came with being avian adjacent. For instance, the lyre bird-like ability to imitate any sound imaginable. 

Chapter 1

BZZZZzzz…. BZZZZZZZZZZzzzz…. BZZZZZZzzzz-

Boxman’s eye twitched in annoyance. He let out a heavy, exasperated sigh and maneuvered his sleep-heavy body until he was face-to-face with his alarm clock. 

5:54 AM. Great. Just great. 

Two precious hours of sleep he wouldn’t be getting back. All thanks to the obnoxious fly that had somehow snuck into his bedroom and decided to make a nuisance of itself. 

Boxman always felt ungodly tired when he woke up too early, or slept for too long. His body would ache and his eyes felt tender and sore, as if Mikayla had run her sharp metal claws over them. The pain in his back and shoulders was excruciating. It was as if a dozen cement blocks were pressing against his spine. 

The inventor wriggled further under the warm, cozy covers, and grumbled his frustrations under his breath. Boxman’s mind was so fuzzy and his voice so thick with exhaustion that if anyone were listening, they would barely be able to understand his incoherent mumbling.  
The persistent pest flew past his ear, closer than before, so close that the sound of its wings grinding together was loud enough to fill the villain’s entire eardrum. It did this several more times, never landing on his person. 

He started to raise his hand in preparation to hit the fly, fingers shaking with pent-up rage. Then, after giving it a second thought, he reluctantly folded his fingers into a fist and lowered his clenched paw.  
Box was never one to restrain himself, especially when it came to dealing with insects. Under normal circumstances, the fly would be a pile of ash within two seconds by way of the hand-held ray gun he kept in his bedside drawers. But there was one major complication - the sleeping form beside him, snuggled up in half of the blankets. 

He turned to look at his bedpartner, a small fond smile playing at his lips. Professor Venomous was a very deep sleeper, as luck would have it. And despite being a villain, his sleeping form could be compared to an angel, though Boxman knew better than to voice this out loud. The professor’s soft, quiet breathing was accompanied by a gentle ‘hhhssssss’ similar to the sound a defective whistle would make. He later learned that most reptilian adjacent humans produced hissing sounds as an alternative to snoring. The villain found it quite soothing, like the meditative, hushed whisper of summer rain. 

Boxman thought back to when they began sharing a bed. PV had said Box purred when he slept, stating that chickens have been known to purr when happy. He wondered if that were true, but thought it rude to ask.

Boxman noticed something in the corner of his eye – a tiny black speck on the topmost corner of Venomous’ pillow. The fly stared back at him, silently taunting, teasing as it rubbed its thin wispy front legs together like a classic villain in a black and white cartoon. The villain’s lips curled into a furious scowl. 

It took an absurd amount of control on his part not to lose his cool – but the sneaky bastard was practically goading him into hitting the pillow. 

He wouldn’t have it. He was going to get rid of this puny pill; and without waking the ferocious beast that was Venomous before 8 am. 

Bracing his arms on the bed Boxman hoisted himself up and onto his knees and shuffled a couple inches closer to his lover. His arms shook as he placed one hand on PV’s silky pillow, and the other on his own, slightly mustier one. 

Timing was absolutely paramount in executing his next move. Tiny beads of sweat started to form on his brow. The tip of his tongue peeked over his lip, revealing his snaggletooth in anticipation, as he counted down in his head. 

3… 2… 2 ½… 2 ¾…  
He locked eyes with the brazen insect, perfectly poised and ready to strike.

…1! 

With lightning-fast reflexes, he switched the two pillows before Venomous’s head could touch the mattress. The fly took flight and began circling his head like a hawk in a mad fit of fury. Boxman did his best to duck and dodge without moving the bed as his six-legged enemy zipped through the air at a breakneck pace, dive-bombing the roboticist relentlessly. He struggled to keep himself upright as the fly continued its assault, but eventually lost his balance and tumbled from the bed, taking the blanket with him as he fell with a loud ‘THUD’. 

Boxman pawed at the edge of the bed in an attempt to lift himself to his feet. He waited with bated breath to see if his stunt had roused the professor. PV shifted slightly and nuzzled his stubbly cheek into the spongy material of his pillow. 

Boxman let go of the breath he was holding. ‘That was too close’.

He turned his attention back to the fly and its whereabouts. It had found a new home on the very expensive alarm clock that sat atop PV’s bedside table. His patience was wearing thin. The inventor narrowed his eyes and cracked his knuckles.  
It was time to face his problem head on. 

Slowly he tiptoed around the bed, his bare feet making a ‘fssh, fssh’ sound on the cushy designer carpet. The fly watched, staring unaffectedly as the man drew closer and closer, until he was standing a foot away. Boxman hesitated, his arms raised, knees bent. Then, all at once, Box lunged forward and delivered a powerful karate-chop that effectively smashed the alarm clock into jagged pieces. The resounding crash as the black plastic casing cracked and fell to the floor, along with scraps of metal flinging in every direction did not just wake Venomous up – he bolted upright in bed, arms flailing in the air and midnight-charcoal hair falling into his eyes. 

‘Oh Cob.’

Boxman was frozen in place, eyes bugging out of their sockets as he saw Venomous jump out of his skin.

It took a few minutes for Venomous to get his breathing back under control. His eyes, slightly reddened from exhaustion, fell on Boxman. He took in the scene before him, and slowly connected the dots. 

“Box,” he began, “would you mind telling me why my very expensive alarm clock is in shambles?” His eyes were narrowed and his pupils were dangerously thin, to the point that, true to form, he looked very snake-like in appearance. Boxman swore he could hear a faint rattling sound emanating from the Professor.

A million thoughts raced through the inventor’s head. He looked from his disgruntled lover to the mess of metal shards and miniature mechanisms at his feet – in the middle of the wreck was the fly, its miniature body mangled, unmoving – then back to Venomous. 

“…I didn’t do it.”

**************************************************************

A week later…

Venomous’ eyes fluttered open. Shapes and colours filled his vision as his eyes adjusted to the bright light filtering in through the bedroom’s thin blinds. 

“* BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! *”

The professor shifted his attention to the voluptuously bulky mass that was his lover. He could hardly contain a giggle as he eyed Box’s form. The man was splayed out on his side, one hand supporting his head while the other draped over his side. The face he was making as he flawlessly mimicked the sound of PV’s alarm clock to a T could only be described as ‘derpy’ – his eyes turning in the opposite direction, his huge, gaping mouth opening and then snapping shut resembling a grouper fish. 

Venomous shook his head and surprised Box by gathering him in his arms and hugging him close. His hold wasn’t nearly as constrictive as a python’s, but the gesture was enough for the breath to briefly leave Box’s lungs. “You are so wonderfully weird.” 

The roboticist affectionately rubbed Ven’s arms in a gentle back-and-forth motion in return, pressing his puff into Ven’s stomach and leaning his head into the crook of his lover’s neck. He proceeded to litter the bio-engineer’s lavender neck with feather-light kisses as the two sat in comfortable silence. 

‘Was this the ‘honeymoon’ phase that all the magazines and relationship articles spoke about?’ Venomous wondered. 

“What can I say, PV? I am a man of many talents.” Box replied, grinning mischievously. Venomous brought a finger to Box’s chin and seductively turned his lover’s head to face him. He raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow. 

“Care to give me another example?”

**************************************************************

After the alarm clock incident, the two villains implemented a new morning routine. Venomous and Box would get up at the same time. While Boxman was having his morning bath, PV would brew coffee and set the dining room table. 8 am was the preferred time to eat – both the robot children and Fink liked to sleep in late, so their bosses luxuriated in the couple of hours they had before the peaceful atmosphere was broken. 

“Wait, wait… an entire menagerie of zoo animals? Box, you have got to be kidding!” 

Venomous’ body was convulsing with how hard he was laughing. Box swirled his freshly brewed coffee in his mug with a twist of his wrist, his own face red with a mixture of amusement and embarrassment. 

“Heheh… it wasn’t easy, heh, but yeah. In hindsight, I should have planned it beforehand and recorded my voice with a tape recorder. It was just all I could think of to do in that moment!”

Venomous cleared his throat a few times, trying to ignore the intensity of his sore throat from the tail end of a cold. “I wish I could have seen Cosma’s face when you told her. ‘A derailed circus train crashed into the side of the factory’ – ha!” 

The professor delicately wiped the tears forming in the corners of his eyes, carefully avoiding his eyeliner, and took a seat opposite to the roboticist at the elongated dining room table. 

“I’m just thankful that the board actually bought it.” Box sighed, his feelings of glee slowly dissipating as he started thinking back to all the times he had suffered the Board of Villains – mainly Cosma’s – wrath. Seeing the sudden change in Box’s posture, Ven placed a comforting hand on Boxman’s own. 

“You need to have more faith in yourself, Box. You’re much more capable than you think you are.” He leaned over and gave his lover a quick peck. Boxman felt the heat rise in his cheeks again and ducked his head half-way into his coat to hide his face. 

Ven smiled. It was so endearing how Box became flustered when on the recipient end of affection. After taking a sip of his ice latte, the professor visibly cringed as the liquid slipped down his throat. He brought a hand to his neck and felt his swollen lymph glands. 

‘That settles it. There is no way I can go through with a meeting with Congresswoman.’ Sighing, he glanced at Box, who looked at him worriedly. 

‘Unless…’

The bioengineer adjusted himself in his seat and patted Box’s hand. “I’ll be fine, dear. After a little bit of rest and recuperation.”

“Is there anything I can get you, love?” Box asked.

“Well, there is one thing you could help me with…”

**************************************************************

Unfortunately for the villainous pair, their plan did hit a few snags, but all in all they still had an enjoyable time. And managed to extort the absurd amount of technos they needed to take care of taxes and other necessary accoutrements. 

Box’s lyre bird-like ability still left Venomous reeling. While it was impressive, in truth he preferred the sounds that were solely, uniquely Boxman. Particularly the sounds he made when lavished with affection – the flustered squeaks and embarrassed mumbling. The bioengineer found it undeniably adorable. But that was something he was yet to feel comfortable expressing out loud. 

Seated in bed after a long and particularly grueling day of work, there was a comfortable silence surrounding the two. Box had his head buried in the newspaper, while Ven looked down at his tea, lost in thought. Then, with a fond smile, he leant over and pecked his lover on his shoulder, choosing a rather specific spot that closely resembled an ink smudge, though purple and red in colour – a hickey. Venomous may have been hesitant in speaking his affections, but he had no qualms about showing it. The touch was feather light, the brush of his lips lasting only a moment. 

When it came to the more intimate parts of their relationship, Boxman was… well, chicken.  
Eager to proceed but gradually becoming more nervous. Always afraid to ask for more, opting to focus on Venomous rather than himself, as if he felt he didn’t deserve the attention. Strange, given how in any other circumstance, the man was a very tactile person.  
It was plain to see that Boxy was more than a little touch-starved, and it hadn’t helped that his past partners were not the affectionate, ‘touchy-feely’ type. Which had explained why Box was so uncharacteristically shy during intimacy in the beginning. 

But the professor was not one to judge. In the years when he went rogue, he too had used one night stands as a crutch – an ephemeral distraction to combat feelings of inadequacy, crippling loneliness and self-loathing. Then, once he became a villain he dug himself an even deeper pit by drowning himself in his work. Any affection or contact at all was met with cold detachment and an aloof attitude. He was so grateful to have Fink as his support system. She never let him fall too deep into the countless rabbit holes he found himself in. Her starry-eyed charisma was a breath of fresh air. But soon making millions off his creations and sole-parenting a boisterous 6-11-year-old minion just wasn’t enough to lift his spirits.  
What he truly needed was to make a physical and emotional connection with another like-minded adult. It was maddening, this cycle of self-sabotage. To this day the villain still berated himself for nearly ruining his chances with Boxman. 

He still felt so much guilt for how he had treated Box before they began their partnership. Box had been kind enough to reassure him, saying that he didn’t feel any resentment. Which in truth only made him feel worse.

All of these elements factored into the professor’s biggest fear: rejection. He had had his fair share, and was certain that if he encouraged Box to push past his limits, the inventor would just be another name on his list of failed relationships. 

The professor was brought out of his thoughts as Box returned his gesture by resting his head against Ven’s upper arm while he read. 

He smiled fondly at the shorter man. There was nothing wrong with being a work-in-progress. He would take things slow. Let things happen. Be the giving and understanding lover Boxy needed. 

He felt Boxman was more than deserving of such. It was the least he could do, to make up for lost time.


	2. Chapter 2 - Box's Dirty Little Secret part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \--PLEASE READ THESE NOTES AT THE BEGINNING--
> 
> \---((I'll re-iterate what I've said here for the second part of this chapter when I post it)) TRIGGER WARNING: I decided to make this into a two parter - first chapter is just fluff and laughs. Second chapter it gets preeeeetty angst-y cos it's to do with how Box got his chicken arm - which most of us have interpreted as being traumatic in some way. 
> 
> I'm trying so SO hard to not make it depressing, cos there's enough depressing stuff going on in the world. I can't stress enough how much I dont want to depress anyone, so I'm going to go over it with my editors with a fine-toothed comb to make sure it's not too full on.//---
> 
> Sorry it's taken me so long to post the second chapter, my health's been getting in the way recently --again--*rolls eyes*. 
> 
> ANYWAYS
> 
> A dumb little idea that has surprisingly not many jokes made about it.
> 
> You can probably guess what chicken's quirk I'm alluding to from the title. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 2 - Box's dirty little secret

It was a welcome change, having his office and his laboratory in the same space. Everything was perfectly compartmentalized into their own specific areas, from his moderately small desk, his filing system and book shelves to the countertop across the way, home to all of the apparatuses he owned. All that was left to complete his little slice of heaven was a proper computer desk, which was set to arrive any day now.

Venomous whistled a lively tune as he prepared lunch. Lunch for his new pet project, a 10-foot-tall man-eating Venus fly trap. Cosma was in need of a guard dog to protect her newest outer space abode, and rather than go through the ‘hassle’ of traveling to a shelter, inspecting and choosing a guard-dog and signing a mountain of paperwork, she commissioned Venomous to synthesize one for her. It was his proudest and most ambitious venture yet. The task was even more complex and involved than the creation of his late son, Junior (Cob rest his poor soul). Mixing up, brewing, and especially feeding it its food especially was an incredibly careful process. It was paramount that the fly trap be administered no more or no less of the solution than prescribed, or else there would be disastrous results. 

Once the chemical compounds were properly blended, the professor placed it beside the hungry house plant and slowly drew ¾ of the concoction using a small pipette. With a steady hand, he raised the pipette above his head and positioned it over the plant’s wide, open mouth. Just as he was about to drop the liquid down its gullet, a resonant heaving and grunting outside his door caught his ear. His desk must have arrived. 

He waited for Boxman and one of his robots to carry the piece of furniture into his office. He didn’t expect his door to burst open and hit the wall so hard it made the floor tremble. In his surprise Ven squeezed the bulb of the pipette a little too roughly, and the concoction fell into the creature’s mouth in a hurry. The plant began thrashing wildly from side to side like a dying fish, then spat a noxious purple cloud at the professor. Venomous launched into a coughing fit, his eyes burning as the fumes caused tears to stream down his cheeks. He stumbled backwards, clutching at his throat and fumbling around the room for the box of tissues he had on his desk.

Boxman rushed to his aid, grabbing the tissues and handing a bunch of them to Ven, who immediately pressed them into his stinging eye sockets. He hissed, the gentle, cottony material somewhat easing the pain. As the searing feeling started to dissipate, Ven slowly became aware that Box was rubbing his back in slow circles. He righted himself and turned to his lover, then frowned. Though he was still providing comfort, the man had distanced himself by a couple feet, his arm stretched as far as it could go. He was leaning in the other direction and had a hand covering his mouth and nose in disgust. 

The smell finally hit Venomous. Its pungency was indescribable, its scent as putrid as the smell of a mountain of burning tires. And he was covered in it.  
Venomous dashed out of his office at a breakneck pace, leaving Boxman, Darrel and Fink exchanging concerned looks. 

Boxman’s shower, adjacent to their shared bedroom, was the closest to his office. After clearing several long, winding halls and a flight of stairs, the villain arrived at his destination. Yanking the door open, he stumbled in and began shucking off his clothes without thinking. Only when he was completely naked and about to jump into the cubicle did he notice the state of the tub. 

The long marble basin was filled almost to the brim with dirt. A discarded washcloth lay on the edge, sporting several wet spots in the process of drying. Surveying the rest of the room, Ven could see a washer and dryer in the corner, buried under a pile of dirty clothes. The sink was a little tidier; inside a tin cup sat a red electric toothbrush and a half-used tube of toothpaste. Next to it was a brush with thick bristles and a hairdresser-grade black comb.  
To the left of the sink was a set of scales that looked like it had been purchased recently. Ven smiled softly – was Box trying to lose weight for him? That is so sweet. Unnecessary, but still sweet. 

In all honesty, the bathroom was not as bad as Venomous had feared. 

He approached the bathtub and inspected the dirt, picking up a teaspoon’s worth in his hand. 

‘Premium grade soil. Charcoal Wood Ash, too. Hmmm. These have exceptional health benefits.’ He nodded approvingly, and brought the substance up to his nose. ‘Lavender, rosemary and mint. An interesting combination.’ 

A hollow ditch of about Boxman’s size had been dug out near the head of the basin. Venomous recalled the fashion in which chickens bathed themselves; the sudden image of his partner rolling around, covering himself in dust from head to toe, made him chuckle. He glanced from the tub to the shower cubicle next to it. It seemed like such a hassle, having to fill the entire bath with dirt and then rinsing it off in the shower. He wondered if he could make some kind of dirt-based dry shampoo formula that Box could just rub on his feathers…

“Ven, darling? Are you in hee-eeeeyeeyeeeer!” Boxman stood in the threshold between the bathroom and bedroom. His face turned red and he began to wheeze like kettle boiling over. The two were pretty well acquainted with each other’s bodies by now, but that didn’t make the situation any less embarrassing. The villain squawked out a quick “I’m sorry!” and slammed the door shut behind him. 

A couple of minutes passed between them before they busted out laughing at their own foolishness. The two settled against the door, positioning themselves back to back, as their laughter died down. 

“Haaah, well, eheh…” Boxman sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. “I guess now you know my dirty little secret". 

“Cute, Boxy.” 

“Heheh…hoo…sorry you had to find out this way.” Box awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. 

Venomous shrugged. “Don’t be. I’m the one who didn’t want to share a bathroom.” A beat, then, “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” 

Boxman turned to and carefully slid his fingers under the gap of the door in an attempt to reach out to the professor. Venomous returned the gesture, brushing Box’s fingertips with his own. 

“If you want, we could…uh… I can’t make any promises that I’ll keep my bathroom completely spick and span, but I I’ll do my best.” Box continuously grazed his thumb over the top of Ven’s hand. The professor’s hand retreated, then a minute later the door opened. Venomous, now clad in his lab coat, smiled down at his lover as Box scrambled to his feet. 

“I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> Really appreciate comments and kudos - constructive criticism only, please. That would be super helpful!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! More to come!


End file.
